Battery Traceability and Error Proofing

The Problem: A fast growing automotive battery manufacturer needed to ensure highest possible quality and keep up with U.S. Government regulations to create a life history for each finished product.

The RedViking Solution: Scalable Track and Trace system to force quality and traceability by identifying all material and every machine throughout production. Error Proofing quality gates tracked as part of product’s complete genealogy.

Quick identification and isolation of defects before completion or shipment

Growing Market Drives Need for Better Systems

A battery manufacturer was opening a new plant in response to fast-growing product demand for automotive lithium-ion batteries. As a critical supplier for electric and hybrid vehicles, they needed to ensure the highest possible quality. We designed an MES focused on tracking and traceability systems to quickly quarantine defects and minimize the impact of any recalls.
As the market for hybrid and electric vehicles continues to expand, battery manufacturers must make sure that their production quality is not compromised by increased volume. RedViking designed and implemented a complete tracking and traceability system that improved quality in materials, processes and final products.

Quick Problem Identification Cuts Costs

At every step throughout production, raw material and work in process is marked and tracked to provide data on time in, time out, machines used and other characteristics integral to production. In this way, if a defect is uncovered, the impacted product can be quickly identified and quarantined. Integrated error proofing quality checks become part of the battery’s geneaology and provide the foundation for root cause analysis.

For example, if a quality check shows a surface flaw, a history review will quickly identify which machines have been involved and root cause can be determined. Cost is avoided in three ways – first, production continues full speed for any products that did not go through the faulty machine. Second, no additional materials or labor hours are added to the defective product. Third, the opportunity to evaluate for materials reuse is better by catching a defect earlier in the process.

OEE Equipment Health Monitoring was Added Next

This customer added OEE equipment health monitoring to implement better preventive maintenance and minimize unexpected downtime. The combination of traceability and machine health monitoring gives them a complete view of production at any time and helps to refine their plant-wide control plan for quality management. Quality improved, manufacturing costs were reduced and recall impact was minimized.

Easy integration into the Argonaut Platform

Like all Argonaut apps, the Track and Trace app can be implemented on its own or as part of an entire MES suite. Argonaut currently offers the following manufacturing apps, with more under development.